Did you know the decision to hire is made in 15 minutes or less? Scary, huh? With that in mind, Cosmo surveyed human-resource pros* to find out which job-hunting sins you may be making.

You Say, "This Is My Dream Job"

You Say, "This Is My Dream Job"

Even if you mean it, 69% of recruiters will brush that off as an insincere cliché they've heard way too many times before. Ban the bogus phrases "I think outside the box" and "I'm a team player" from your vocab as well, and come up with your own way of describing how much you rock.

*Cosmo teamed up with the Society for Human Resource Management for this survey of 500 human resource executives.

You Trash Your Old Boss

You Trash Your Old Boss

Even if your old supervisor makes The Office's Michael Scott seem like the smartest person alive, you'll be the one who looks bad if you dis him or your former company. It's kind of like the whole "I'm rubber and you're glue" concept you heard about in grade school. Ninety-five percent of recruiters agree that when you talk smack in an interview, it sticks with you.